The Inner Child Cards deck went briefly out-of-print, and then the publisher,
Bear and Co., re-released it with a slightly different title. This might suggest
there has been a slight focus shift, as the original title was The Inner Child
Cards: A Journey Into Fairy Tales, Myth, and Nature. I had never noticed that
the word "tarot" was not in the title of the initial edition, but this
realization has led me to reflect that this deck is truly unique. Why? Because
it provides an opposing proof to the aphorism, "Just because a deck's title
includes the word tarot doesn't mean it's a tarot deck." In this case, even
though the word tarot isn't in the original title, the Inner Child Cards have always
been, and continue to be, tarot.

That is not, of course, the only unique thing about this deck. The first
thing one notices immediately is the artwork. The cards are large, whimsically
drawn, and vibrantly-hued, designed as if to appeal to children. Even the
borders burst with images and color. Yet there is no cloyingly cute factor with
which to contend--these lovely images are adult-friendly in their beauty and
power--even though the subject matter is definitely taken from the realms of
fable and fairy tales.

Lovely as this deck is, it often sits gathering dust in my collection. Then I
have occasion to use it and am delighted anew with its compassionate wisdom. I
find it particularly appropriate when working with children, but disagree with
those who have described it as sugarcoating the truth. This deck has helped me
grapple with some very difficult lessons, gently, it is true, but perhaps I'd
have ignored a more brutal approach. Then again, I don't rely on the book
meanings, but primarily work with the actual images. The book tends to be more
gentle and rosy than my interpretations.

Each of the Major Arcana cards is based on a fairy tale or
fable:

Traditional Title

Inner Child Card Title

The Fool

Little Red Cap

The Magician

Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

The High Priestess

The Fairy Godmother

The Empress

Mother Goose

The Emperor

The Emperor's New Clothes

The Hierophant

The Wizard

The Lovers

Hansel and Gretel

The Chariot

Peter Pan

Strength

Beauty and the Beast

The Hermit

Snow White

The Wheel of Fortune

Alice in Wonderland

Justice

The Midas Touch

The Hanged Man

Jack and the Beanstalk

Death

Sleeping Beauty

Temperance

The Guardian Angel

The Devil

The Big Bad Wolf

The Tower

Rapunzel

The Star

Wishing Upon a Star

The Moon

Cinderella

The Sun

The Yellow Brick Road

Judgement

The Three Little Pigs

The World

The Earth Child

Suits are Magic Wands, Swords of Truth, Winged Hearts, and Earth
Crystals. The crystals can be disconcerting
because I identify them as more air (Swords) than earth. The Court Cards are
renamed Child, Seeker, Guide, and Guardian. Three of the Guardians are based on
angels (Raphael and Michael for the Wands and Cups, respectively, with Gabriel,
renamed Gabrielle, getting a sex change, for the suit of Swords. The Guardian of
Earth Crystals is Gaia, "the gentle caretaker of Planet Earth").

The main difference between this new edition of the set and the
original publication is that the companion book for the deck is now in
paperback, as opposed to hardback. There have been minor revisions, but they are
slight indeed. The title change, discussed above, is the most interesting variation.
One sentence that I wish had been revised is "Apparently,
the cards degenerated into a system of gambling and gaming." I find the
term "degenerated" unnecessarily negative in light of the concept of
sacred play that the authors espouse. Also, the historical information is not
correct--the Joker is not "the Fool of the old tarot." A paragraph on
the subject of Chiron and Barbara Hand Clow has been removed. In the section on
"Using the Deck With Children," the paragraph on using the deck in
nature (hikes and picnics) has been mysterious deleted--perhaps a valuable deck
belonging to one of the Lerners is now missing a card or two and they want us to
avoid the same fate. The section on layouts remains the same. The card
descriptions, which is by far the most voluminous section of the book, seems to
have changed not at all, but I must admit I didn't compare every card write-up.

The
authors encourage you to ignore reversals, even if they come up naturally,
because they don't want opposing meanings. This is odd because even when the
deck was initially released (in 1992), there were many alternative ways to view
reversals within the tarot community. Mark Lerner is a noted astrologer, which
explains why astrological information is provided, even though there isn't
lengthy attention drawn to this information. The deck follows the Golden Dawn
attributions.

While I am comfortable with most of the stories relating to the
Major Arcana, a new collector came to a tarot class of mine recently with a copy
of this deck to trade. Some of the correlations were too much of a stretch for
her, such as The Three Little Pigs for Judgement. But I love the sense of
yearning in the Cinderella Moon Card, and the magical Hierophant Wizard.

Some of the Minor Arcana are based on specific stories, but
others are not. All are extremely evocative, and provide a positive spin on
traditional images without completely deserting the original perspective. The Seven
of Swords shows a child's thoughts sneaking away from his responsibilities,
which in many ways is more illustrative of the suit than its Rider-Waite-Smith
counterpart.

The emotionally stirring artwork aids in providing powerful, if
unusually uplifting, readings. A friend asked me to pull a card on a new
job she had just accepted. The Five of Swords, normally a negative card where no
one "wins," even the gloater who seems to have succeeded, shows a boy
on a slippery rock, making friends with a starfish. The individual might feel
isolated and have to adapt to change, but the opportunity to develop new and
special relationships is also on the watery horizon. This card was very
appropriate in many ways for my friend. Other readings, on quite serious
subjects, proved equally apropos and successful.

Of course, to me, this deck's greatest strengths are the
correlations to various stories. As a mnemonic device, there is nothing like a
tale to help you painlessly retain meanings, but even more importantly, the
fictional references aid the reader in making real-world observations based on
those characters and plots, creating a personal and meaningful story for the
querent to take home and ponder.

Cards are large, measuring approximately six and a quarter
inches by four inches, which makes it hard for children and people with little
hands (like me) to shuffle them easily. Card backs
are royal purple with a streaming sun, and are reversible, even though the
authors eschew using reversals. Borders are a multi-colored affair, with cute
symbols--quite engaging. Strength is VIII and Justice, XI.

I recommend this deck for those who don't already possess a
copy, and especially for use with children. It's sunny, not shallow. The
revisions are so minor that anyone who already has a copy of this deck need not
repurchase it, but smile smugly with the knowledge that the hardback copy is
likely far more durable.

You can read other reviews of the original edition of this
deck here, here,
and here.